


A Home Worth More than Gold

by fryloren



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Agony, Bofur is a Sweetheart, Bombur makes soups and sandwhiches, Dis - Freeform, Fili and Kili, I hope, M/M, Modern AU, Slow Build, The Hobbit - Freeform, and cuties, and everyone pretty much, and is an amazing cook, and thorin, because hair is gross in food, bilbo the blogger, bilbo the hipster, haha - Freeform, he is a Barbecuer, imagine gandalf with pretty long hair thats always in a ponytail, stressed thorin, they are waitors, this is gonna be long, thorin is a cook
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-02-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 12:21:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3120023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fryloren/pseuds/fryloren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo, at a young age, found out that he was able to write. To his disappointment, he wasn't much of a cook, but he would anyways because he loved doing it with his mother. However, when she died, he didn't know what to do. He decided to combine he writing skills and his love for food together. He came up with the solution to start a blog.<br/>He happens across an old diner, where he meets a few interesting people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moving In

**Author's Note:**

> Im changing the name later probably
> 
> Okay so, please bear with me. I would really really love suggestions. I am also unsure about how to peruse the romance between Bilbo and Thorin? But I do have more of a plan than you guys think.  
> I'm pretty excited. I hope you like! And please point out any errors or whatever.  
> This could either be a really bad idea, or a really good one.  
> I'm trying to not make it too slow haha

If there was one thing that Bilbo Baggins loved, above all else, it would be food. Closely following was art and literature. But food… Food was something that brought all sorts of people together. Filled their stomachs with something warm, and enjoyable. Food made people happy… and that was one of his passions. To make people happy. Now, unfortunately for Mr. Baggins, he wasn’t much of a cook. Tried as he might, all he could make was decent breakfast foods, sweets, and soups. Which, at least it was something, but not enough to become a chef like he had wanted when he was younger. His Tookish side, his Mother’s side, had taken over when he was twelve and he would constantly be forced to clean the messy foods from the walls. Not that he would have just walked away from the mess anyways, he wasn’t that rude.

That dream had faded out as soon as he had discovered something he was actually great at. Now, Bilbo Baggins was good at a lot of things, but being great at something was entirely new to him. The first time he had caught wind of his writing talent was when he was quite young. He would turn in several fantasy stories about things like dragons, elves, and buried treasure to his teachers. They greatly encouraged him to go further. This would happen quite often, so he had payed no mind to this, and had just assumed it was another one of his mediocre talents. That had soon changed when he took a Creative Writing class at the beginning of high school. His teacher, Mr. Grey, had instantly seen Bilbo’s talent and had expressed it with a loudness. Gandalf, Mr. Grey insisted on the class calling him that, had shown him the beauty of literature. The hope and laughter it could bring to people, as well as the sadness and remorse it could cause. Gandalf always tended to remind him of the good that books could do. He would never forget the time Gandalf had told him,” A few set of words, can drastically change the views of anyone, Bilbo Baggins. Imagine the impact of what a whole book could do,” with a mischievous look in his eye.

Bilbo kept that close to his chest through his mother’s passing right after high school. He didn’t know why that set of words had helped him, they weren’t even relevant… Until, one day something hit him when he was sitting in a local cafe, thinking about what he was going to do now that his mother was gone. However, he found that he had the answer right in his very domain. He caught himself staring at his Cappuccino in thought, as he wondered what to type next on his near empty computer screen. He had been pushing himself to write ever since the funeral ended, but it was always too difficult for him. The drink made him think back to when he was younger. When him and his mom would bake cookies, cakes, and brownies together all the time. There was never a bad memory for him when he was cooking with his mother. And he found it hard to even think of sweets with her gone, but within that, he had found a spark of hope. Maybe he could give people ideas on things to do, and places to go and eat with their own mothers and fathers?

This was the first time Bilbo Baggins got the idea to start a blog.

\--------

Bilbo had just set down his last box and was now observing his new apartment, trying to create a visual.

‘ _The book case on this wall… the picture frames on the mantelpiece… and my chair, right in front of the window..._ ’ He smiled at the thought of being able to curl up with a book on his favorite chair, with the fireplace warming his toes.

‘ _Nothing like it_ ,’ he thought. He began to unpack, starting with his books.

He had always liked to order them in alphabetical order. Though, that never seemed to manage very well, for his bookshelf was full to the brim and he even had to make a rather large pile of books next to the shelf.

He had just began to set his fantasy section on his shelf when there was a knock on the door. Bilbo tilted his head to the side curiously. He wasn’t expecting anybody. Was he?

He went to open the door and found Gandalf on the other side,“Good evening, Bilbo! I hope you are settling in nicely?”

“I should’ve known you’d come right away,” Bilbo sighed.

“Well can I come in or not? I came all this way to see how my dear friend is settling in to his new home and this is the thanks I get?” Bilbo laughs slightly and steps aside to allow his tall friend through.

Some may think it weird that he gets together with his former teacher, but Gandalf has made such an influence on Bilbo’s life that he couldn’t imagine cutting off contact with him. Also the fact that he had taught his mother when she was in school, somewhat left him as an almost family friend. Which, is one of the reasons they got along so well in the first place.

“Sorry… I only wished to have the placed cleaned up a bit more before I had any visitors.”

“You need not prepare for an old fellow like me, Bilbo. We can find anywhere-,” he paused as he held up a wine bottle that Bilbo hadn't noticed was in his hand,” to get drunk.”

Bilbo gasped at the scandal,” Gandalf,” he hissed,” I have literally only been in the house for fifteen minutes and you are already requesting me to get drunk?”

“Of course!” He said merrily, letting out a loud laugh,”This is a celebration of your independence, my young lad. We ought to be prepared.”

Bilbo couldn’t help but laugh,” Since when do you drink?”

“I make wine a regular part of my weekends. Drinking takes my mind off of the more stressful aspects of being a teacher and helps me focus on my writing,” he makes his way to the kitchen and sets down the wine bottle on the counter to look for cups in a nearby box that was labeled 'Kitchen'.

“Don't worry, I don’t normally drink more than a couple glasses over the course of a weekend,” he added when he catched a glimpse of Bilbo’s worried expression.

“Did you take a taxi?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. One glass each.”

Of course they ended up having three glasses each, emptying the whole bottle as they laughed merrily along with each others tales.

“I know of a nice restaurant in town that you need to review,” Gandalf threw that out of nowhere as they sat on a couple couch cushions in front of the now-lit fireplace.

Bilbo had had this blog for about two and a half years now and had grown a bit of a following. He would put up a review once a week (usually restaurants) about his whole experience at the place. People would often respond to his reviews with their experience with the place. Most of them included families, which always made him smile when he read them. He was hadn’t expected a job out of it, but someone had come along and offered to pay him if he were to put his reviews up on her site. He was more than happy to accept and Galadriel had soon became, somewhat of an editor for him. Bilbo soon found out that Gandalf and Galadriel were quite good friends and that Gandalf had recommended Bilbo when Galadriel spoke of “A project for brilliant minds to make their opinions known” as she put it. Bilbo was a little disappointed until Galadriel had reassured him that he wouldn't offer him a job if he couldn't live up to the task.

Galadriel had gotten him published in quite a few magazines and newspapers as well. With her connections with larger name companies (because of her rich family name), Bilbo had had his name and writing in print nine times. Which, is more than he could've ever hoped for. He owed her. Big time.

“Oh really?” Bilbo asked yawning.

“Yes. It’s called Durin’s Diner. It has very good food and the people are quite a hoot,” he chuckles slightly and yawns.

“I’ll add it to the list then,” Bilbo gets Gandalf to write the name and address on a sticky note and stuck it to the inside of his laptop, that had been near his books.

“If I could make a small request, dear Bilbo, if you could go and see them quite soon? I know how long that list of yours is, and it would be a shame for them to close up before you get there.”

“They’re going out of business?” Bilbo asked sadly.

“Not yet, but if they don’t get a good amount of regular customers from a certain tiny boy’s blog, then I doubt they will stay open for much longer.”

Bilbo’s nose scrunched in disgust,” I am not tiny and most certainly not a boy.”

Gandalf looked at him fondly and chuckled,” I know you’re not.”

Not much longer had they sat in front of the fire before Gandalf decided to take his leave in order for Bilbo to settle in. A cab was called, and they parted with a gentle hug. As well as a promise from Bilbo that he would review Durin’s Diner asap. He watched as Gandalf left and retreated into his new home. He took in everything. The cozy fire place, the empty glasses, the bookshelf… and somehow he just knew, that he was going to be much happier from now on.

 


	2. Durin's Diner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo visits Durin's Diner to review for his blog, and meets some interesting characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow my head feels off. Like it's usually so easy for me to write these guys but it was OFF today? Idk  
> but I finished this one tonight. I waited to post the series at least until something was done haha  
> there are probably some mistakes but ill check them in the morning  
> I hope these characters are at least a little accurate oh my goodness xxx  
> suggestions or ideas in the comments please!

Over the past few days, Bilbo was able to set up his apartment (With the small amount of furniture he had). The apartment wasn’t very large, he would admit, but it was just small enough to be cozy. And that’s exactly how he liked it. He managed to put most of his books in place and added another sticky note to his laptop to get another bookshelf.

‘ _Might as well…_ ,” he would tell himself, but in reality, it was just an excuse to get more books.

It was getting close to the end of the week and Bilbo had to make his review soon, before he started work next week. He had gone job hunting because, of course, a blog isn’t exactly enough pay to get by. Also,  of course, he had found a nice job at a used book store. He had proven himself a worthy employee just by the conversation he had with the own of his knowledge of books. He got the job as soon as he asked about the opening.

Though, the matter of the review was still in place, and he figured that he might as well try this ‘Durin’s Diner’, while it was still fresh in his mind. He was in the mood for soup anyways, and Gandalf had mentioned their fantastic broth. He figured he would give it a whirl.

He put on his cardigan, shoes, and brushed his teeth and shaggy hair (not that it really mattered. His hair will always remain untamed). He left the apartment with a spring in his step as he took in the warm springtime air. The sun had begun to set slightly, but felt very nice on his face. He sometimes forgot how much he actually loved being outside. There was nothing better than sitting at the base of a big tree as you immerse yourself into your favorite novel.

He called a cab and observed the book that had been in his hands. It was an old, worn out copy of ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ By Shel Silverstein. He always tended to carry around poetry when he would review places, especially Children’s Poetry. He found, that the simple reading helped him focus, without seeming like some sort of critic. He always kept a bunch of sticky notes within the pages to remind him of different experiences. To most people, it appeared as if he was analyzing a book, which made him feel like he was going undercover and that’s always fun.

The cab pulled into the parking lot of the diner. He payed the man and got out to observe the place. It wasn’t, particularly, impressive. It had a large sign that had ‘Durin’s Diner’ in royal blue letters and the rest of the place was painted a light blue with white accents . Though, the paint seemed to be old, and peeling. It was a stand alone restaurant, somewhat off the the side, and there were only three cars in the lot.

‘ _So far, not impressed_ ,’ he thought. He hated judging a restaurant by it’s looks, but atmosphere did indeed matter when it came to serving food.

He adjusted the mechanical pencil on his right ear and made his way inside. A bell rang as he entered the door and he immediately heard arguing, though it immediately stopped when they heard the bell. He took this chance to take in the scenery. There seemed to be a bar on the left when you first walk in, but no one was there. The was a random assortment of chairs and tables. The chairs were all neatly tucked under the tables, with clean table tops. As if nobody has been there all day, and this did seem to be accurate. behind all of the tables and chairs there was there was a doorway and a long hole in the wall, which was obviously the kitchen. Everything was very bland. Except for the royal blue walls, with white trim. The only thing that distracted him from the restaurant itself, was the faint smell of delicious steak. It wasn’t strong, but it was enough to make him excited for a good meal.

He saw movement in the kitchen as he awkwardly walked forward to a podium just to read a sign that said ‘Please wait to be seated’. He waited and saw someone appear in the doorway for a moment as they gasped and then disappeared again.

“It’s someone _new_!”

“What seriously?!”

“Just get out there and do your job.”

“I call it this time!”

“No. Kili. It was your turn last time.”

Two figures then appeared to race for the doorway. They pulled each other back as they tried to make it to the podium first. A blonde hair young man, who appeared about sixteen, made it first.

“Hello sir! I am Fili, and I will be your waiter this evening,” he smiled kindly.

“No!” the other, who he assumed was Kili, pushed Fili to the side and said, “I am Kili, and I will be your waiter today.”

“Uh…,” was all Bilbo could manage before a yell came from the kitchen.

“You can both be his waiter! Now shut up and do what I taught you.”

Fili and Kili both sighed and said in unison,” Yes, uncle.”

Fili grabbed a menu from behind the podium and Kili faced Bilbo,” Hello, sir! How are you this evening?”

Bilbo was amused, but chose not to show it,” I’m doing fine, thanks.”

“Great! Do you have any preference on where you sit?”

Bilbo glanced to the side at the corner table,” In the corner by the window, please?”

“Of course! Right this way!” He marched the five feet to the corner table with Bilbo and Fili behind him. It was a little goofy to see two young men acting so professional, in such an unprofessional place. Bilbo liked it already.

Kili ‘presented’ the table and allowed Bilbo to sit down as Fili set down the menu in front of him.

Kili somewhat jumped when he said,” Specials for the week! Bofur has been adding eggs to his Hamburgers so-”

“He calls it the “In for an Eggsellent Surprise,” Fili finished. Bilbo chuckled at that one, earning brighter smiles from the two young boys.

“The next would be a roast beef sandwich and Bombur has been adding hot peppers to them and-”

“He’s calling it the ‘It’s Roasting in Here, Baby’,” Fili finished again.

“Oh god!” Bilbo said laughing more this time,” Such… creative names.”

The, he assumed, brothers shared a successful glance with each other, as Kili continued,” Yeah. Well, we actually made them up. They would probably get really mad if we told them what we’re calling them.”

“But the original names are just too boring!” Fili whines.

“I’ll bet,” Bilbo responds.

“The last special is a broth my uncle likes to make. It’s super cheesy with beef, almost like a chili. But-”

“He likes to call it “I Swear it’s not Mac'n'Cheese” but we know that’s lame,” Fili finished.

Bilbo burst into a fit of laughter,” That’s terrible!” He said in between laughs.

“We know!” Kili let out a few laughs in return,” We tried telling him! But he wouldn’t listen!”

The laughter calmed down and Bilbo says through small giggles,” That sounds lovely. I’ll take that one please. Do you have salad?”

“Yup!” says Fili.

“Okay. I’ll take the not Mac’n’cheese thing and a salad, with a sprite, please?”

“Of course! One of us will be right back with your drink and salad,” Fili smiles and they take their leave.

Bilbo smiled to himself as he opened up his book and wrote ‘I Swear it’s not Mac’n’Cheese’ on the inside of the cover.

‘Priceless,” he thought. This was one of the things he enjoyed the most. Since most of the money that he made from the blog, would go to him getting to the places that he would review… he really didn’t have anything to worry about. These weekly trips were always a time for him to unwind and forget any stress or negative thoughts he may be having. So, when he meets some pretty cool people, that is always a bonus.

A couple minutes later, Kili emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of salad, and his Sprite. Bilbo closes his book and pushes it to the side in order to make room for his salad.

“Here’s your salad!” he places down the salad and casts a glance over at Bilbo’s book,”Hey! I know that book. Um...Shel Silverstein right?”

“Yep,” Kili seemed proud of himself to have remembered the name.

“Man, my uncle used to read some of those poems every time we went over his house. They were pretty funny,” he smiled fondly at the memories.

“Yeah. He’s always managed to give a deeper meaning to most of them as well. Which is interesting, so that even adults can read it and enjoy it,” Bilbo replied, looking at the wonderful book. In that time however, Kili must’ve been distracted, and the cup started to tip over.

Now Bilbo’s clothes were the nicer clothes that existed in his wardrobe. He wore a dark grey cardigan, a lighter grey pair of pants, and a plaid, green button up. What ever comfort he had in these clothes quickly vanished as the soda drenched his lap.

“Ah!” Bilbo’s concern wasn’t necessarily in his clothes, however, more so his book. He quickly lifted the book off of the soaked table. He watched the book drip down on to the tabletop as Kili apologized profusely.

“Oh my god! I am SO sorry, sir! Hold on, let me get you a towel!” He raced back to the kitchen to fetch a towel. Bilbo quickly rubbed the book on any area of his clothes that were dried, in an attempt to save the book before any permanent damage could be done. He managed to succeed in saving the pages on the inside, but not as much could be said about the back cover.

‘ _Oh well,_ ” He thought. He didn’t mind really.

Fili and Kili came racing back with a few hand towels.

“Jesus, Kili!” Fili hissed,” Be more careful next time!”

“I know, Fili! I said I was sorry!” They began wiping up the mess frantically.Bilbo took the liberty of grabbing the other hand towel and helping out. Not worrying as much about the giant wet mark on the bottom of his shirt and down his pants, as he was about how much of a pain it would be to wipe off all of the stickiness.

“You’ll want to get a sponge right away, so it’ll be easier to wipe away the soda. It gets pretty sticky,” Bilbo said when almost all of the soda was soaked up from the rags (even the bit that hit the ground).

“What about your clothes?!” Kili yelled,”I ruined them!”

Bilbo raised his eyebrows and laughed,” Kili… it was Sprite. It will wash out you know.”

At that moment a particularly loud,” KILI!” came from the kitchen. Kili paled and gulped.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll have to excuse me,” he treaded to the kitchen as if it were his death sentence. This whole encounter was so comical that Bilbo had to stop himself from laughing (because it would’ve been entirely rude!). Fili turned back to him with wide eyes and mouth open. The expression on Fili’s face alone, was enough to put him into a fit of giggles.

Fili then let out a worried chuckle,” I’m uh…” he glance at the kitchen as quiet arguing could be heard,” I’m going to check on Kili.”

He skidded off through the doorway of the kitchen. Bilbo blinked a few times and then sat down in his wet pants, eager to taste the salad.

‘ _Salad- Fresh, good amount of cheese and other things, not too much ranch. Very good_ ,’ he thought as he shoveled fork fulls of lettuce in his mouth. He made a small note in his damp book.

The arguing ceased with a long, loud sigh,”Go get them out of my car then,” and then a loud closing of a door. There were several minutes of silence, besides the occasional sound of dishes clattering together slightly. The door opened and he assumed a silent exchange took place because not moments later a tall, well built, figure appear in the doorway as he made his way over to his table. He was holding a tray, with a boy and spoon on it, and a pair of pants hung around his arm. The man (Bilbo assumed he was the uncle) looked very tired. He wore a black t-shirt, and a white apron at his waist. His long hair was brought back into a ponytail, revealing his handsome (or so Bilbo strongly thought) face.

“Uh… Hi,” Bilbo said with a smile.

“Hello,” the man looked uncomfortable, eyebrows were furrowed slightly as he tried to keep eye contact with Bilbo.

‘ _How cute_ ,’ Bilbo thought fondly.

“I am sorry for my nephew’s clumsiness. He…,” he trailed off for a second, sending a glare at the face that was peaking through the kitchen window,” He is... clumsy...," for a second it looked like he was going to use a worse word, but thought better of it.

“Oh, no! I don’t mind much,” the man raised an eyebrow at him in response,” Honest! It’s not like I was really going to do anything today. So, I don’t mind going home and changing.”

The man looked skeptical as he set down the tray of food. Bilbo’s face lit up at the wonderful smell,” Did you make this?”

“I did,” he grew a small, confident smirk at his work.

“So you’re the one that thought of the name “I Swear it’s not Mac’n’Cheese’ then?” Bilbo giggled.

The man drew back sharply, in surprise as his face quickly grew pink,” Yeah, well. It was a good idea at the time!”

‘ _Aw, he’s all flustered_.’

Bilbo laughed and said,” No,no! Don’t worry, it’s cute.”

The Uncle’s face grew redder as he reached out his hand to present the pair of jeans,” You can wear these instead. If you like, of course. I mean… your pants got soaked, correct?”

Bilbo only nodded and took the pants. He was going to turn down the offer, but it was starting to get sticky out there… and that never worked out well. He smiled brightly up at the man,” Thank you very much.”

“No problem,” the man spared a small, quick, smile in return.

‘ _He looks much better with a smile_ ,’ thought Bilbo.

The man glances to the side and clears his throat,” I hope you enjoy your meal, and if there is anything you need please do not hesitate to ask.”

“Of course, thank you.”

With that, the uncle turned around and went back to the kitch. Bilbo got up to go the the restrooms, which was right next to the kitchens. The jeans were big, but somehow Bilbo made them fit with his belt that had been on his soaked pants. When he got back, there was another sierra mist sitting well away from his book and food. There was also a piece of garlic bread on a napkin, next to his food. He laughed to himself as he sat down. Bilbo took in the smell of the broth, letting the steam hit his face. If it tasted amazing as it smelled, then Bilbo was in for a treat. Now, if this wasn’t food fit for a king, then he didn’t know what was. The broth was, of course, very cheesy, but it had just the right enough coating the top. The beef, that was hidden below the cheese, was a perfect texture in his mouth. There was a fair amount of beans, and also seemed to have a bit of egg in there, which, didn’t look like it would work. But, Oh it did.

“My goodness!” Bilbo said to himself as all of the wonderful flavors danced on his tongue. He ripped off a piece of garlic bread, dipped it in, and ate it.

‘ _Heaven_ ,’ he thought to himself. He was certainly, returning here,’ _Maybe for a brunch with Gandalf?’_

Just as he finished, Fili appeared next to him,” I hope everything is to your liking?”

Bilbo jumped slightly and responded,” This… was spectacular. Please give the highest of compliments to your uncle. I’ll definitely return here soon, I think.”

Fili flashed a beautiful smile,” I’m glad,” his smiles quickly turns into a sad one,” Please, don’t think badly of uncle for seeming so rude. He’s just… under a lot of stress, is all.”

Bilbo nodded sympathetically,” Don’t worry about it. I completely understand.”

Fili’s gaze fell,” Anyways… check?”

“Yes, please.”

Fili pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to Bilbo. He pulled out his wallet, and pulled out the $9.50. He handed the money to Fili.

“Thank you, sir,” Fili smiled kindly,”Have a wonderful day.”

Bilbo returned the smile,” You as well. Oh, and do tell your uncle I will wash and return his pants when I come back in?”

“Of course, sir,” he turned to leave, when Bilbo remembered the tip.

“Oh, wait! I am so sorry I forgot your tip!” He dug back in his wallet.

Fili seemed genuinely surprised,” Oh no! That’s not necessary!”

“Oh, shush,” Bilbo would normally pay a decent tip, but whether it be the hilarious brothers, the wonderful food, or the strapping cook (possibly all three), he felt the need to give them something back. Since he usually saved the money he made from the blog, for these weekly visits, he thought he could give a bit extra. He set down a $50 dollar bill. Thank goodness, he didn’t do much last week.

Fili’s eyes widened,” Sir, no.”

“Sir, yes. Take it. You guys need it,” Bilbo looked him in the eyes, nodding slightly.

Fili’s brows were furrowed, unsure. He then sighed,” You have no idea how much this means to us,” he picked it up and pocketed the money,” Thank you. You’re welcome back here anytime.”

Bilbo stood with his book in hand, smiling. They parted with a good evening. He went outside and smelt the fresh air, remembering to call a taxi. He quite liked these people.

_‘I ought to boost up there slow days a bit_ ,’ he thought with a smirk.

 


	3. Brunch with Gandalf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo and Gandalf take a trip to Durin's Diner for a weekend brunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you guys go before I hit the hay. Now before any of y'all say anything. I am aware that Frodo is actually Bilbo's cousin, but I thought for the sake of age difference, this would be easier. Sorry for a bad Thorin. Idk man I just feel like my thorin doesn't come off to well. yknow what I mean?
> 
> I really, really hope this chapter turned out okay. I felt like it started off ind rusty, but I think it flowed well in the end.  
> But I'm really happy that you guys are liking this so far. It's encouraging me a lot. Thank you  
> I hope you like it :)

That night, Bilbo had written a wonderful review. Full of wonderful comments about how great the people are, how calm the atmosphere is, and, of course, how magnificent the food is.

‘Nothing like it. It was as if I was sitting in front of the fire, with my favorite book, and a blanket over my lap. Just enjoying a winters day, indoors. Quite a comforting feeling, actually,’ he had wrote.

He had already managed to get Gandalf to come out for a brunch, the following Saturday. He didn’t put up much of a fight, so he figured that he actually enjoyed the restaurant.

As the days went on, he could see quite a large response from his audience. People seemed overjoyed by the idea of a small, town, quality restaurant. A few families ever went the night he posted the review. They responded positively, and said it would be a new regular. Bilbo was happy to hear that.

Bilbo had grown excited for his weekend with Gandalf, and it irked him even more that he had to sit in a slow, bookshop for several hours. Though, it wasn’t entirely dreadful. The owner would leave once in a while, and allow him to write, or recite poetry. He would usually read, though. He had come across a fair amount of books that he hadn’t even heard of. He made sticky notes of all of them.

Bilbo decided he would make the review that week about this bookstore. With the owners permission, of course, he asked if he could make a positive add on his webpage. The owner had accepted with gratitude and Bilbo said it would be up on Sunday. That would mean a somewhat busy week next week, or so he hoped.

Saturday arrived and Bilbo hopped out of bed. He didn’t have that many people to go and do things with, so he was grateful to have Gandalf. Though, he had managed lunches with Galadriel now and then, but she was normally busy.

He got ready, putting on a tan pair of skinny jeans and a blue button up. He thought about bringing his cardigan, but it was too nice of a day. He brushed his teeth and hair, and slipped on his shoes, just as he heard a knock on the door. Of course, it was Gandalf, who insisted upon wearing a turtleneck everywhere. Bilbo is was assumed he had some sort of embarrassing tattoo from when he was younger, or something. He would ask one of these days. Though, is shoulder length hair, was put back into a ponytail. He looked quite nice with his hair back.

They went back outside and got in the cab that Gandalf came in,”I really like this place,” Bilbo stated, bouncing in his seat a little, adjusting the pair of folded up pants on his lap.

Gandalf chuckled a bit and said,”I knew you would. You always loved small, home restaurants, didn’t you?”

“Of course! They’re so small, and cute… and always have unexpected surprises. I mean, especially when you find a gem.”

“Would you consider Durin’s Diner a gem, then?” Gandalf asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Definately.”

They arrived at the Diner, and to Bilbo’s surprise, they actually seemed pretty busy. Not a completely packed, but certainly more than last time. This made Bilbo smile brightly.

“Seems like someone helped them out a bit,” Gandalf said, trying not to smile. Bilbo didn’t really know what to say so he just laughed and said,”C’mon,” and trotted slightly to the entrance as Gandalf followed behind.

“Hold your horses, Bilbo Baggins,” Bilbo laughed and held the door open for him. Durin’s Diner looked almost exactly the same as when he left, however, the atmosphere was entirely different. It felt merry, fun. Though, it seemed to keep its ’homey’ feeling. There were several families sitting at the tables (ever with a couple people at the bar), with the waiter brothers speeding about, in order to keep up with the busy business.

Fili set down a drink at a table with a couple messy children, and looked up at the door. A big smiled appeared on his face,” Gandalf!”

“Fili, my lad!” Gandalf cheered merrily. Fili rushed over to them, not noticing Bilbo until they were closer.

“Oh! You’re back already?” Fili looked surprised as he tilted his head to the side.

“Of course! I said I would didn’t I?” Bilbo smiled.

Fili grinned,”Yup,” He looked confused for a moment,” I’m afraid, I didn’t catch your name last time…?”

Bilbo was about to respond, but Gandalf answered first,” This is Bilbo Baggins,” he said, pushing Bilbo in front of him a bit,” he is a former student of mine.”

“Bilbo? What a weird name,” Kili seemed to pop out of no where.

“Weirder than Kili?” Bilbo countered.

He paused, looking taken aback. A smile split onto his face,” True.”

“Shal I show you to your table?” Fili asked. With a nod from Bilbo, Fili grabbed the menus from behind the podium, and took him to the same spot as last time. Bilbo smiled at the kind gesture.

He was about to sat down across from Gandalf when he remembered the pants across his arm,” Oh! Uh, can you give this to your uncle for me?”

Fili looked at the pants,” Nope… too busy, but you can!” Fili smirked and you could hear a loud laugh from Kili nearby. Bilbo had the idea that he wasn’t in on some joke.

Fili pulled him around the tables towards the kitchen, and before Bilbo could protest, Kili started tugging him on the other side,” Yeah, Bilbo! I have a feeling he really wants to talk to you again!”

They seemed to draw the attentions of most of the people in the restaurant. Bilbo’s sputters of questions were no use against the teen’s grips. They took him through the kitchen doorway and dropped him.

“Uncle! Our curly haired friend is here!” They said in unision. Bilbo had a feeling that that was planned. They then left to continue their jobs. The three faces in the kitchen looked over at him. Two of the faces were confused and then turned into smirks, and the other face, was the uncle’s. He was confused at first as well, but quickly recognised him and looked surprised.

“Uh… hello again!” Bilbo said cheerfully, and shifted uncomfortably.

The man was wearing a considerably larger shirt, though Bilbo noticed for the first time that he had a sleeve of gorgeous tattoos,”Ah, hello,” he had a hard time making eye contact again,” Hello.”

“Um,” Bilbo laughed lightly,” I wanted to thank you for loaning me your pants and I brought them back… washed of course!”

Bilbo held out the pants for the uncle to take. He did take them and and said,”Thank you…,” He paused for a moment, in thought, and then continued to say,” I should also say thank you for your very generous tip. It… meant a lot to us.”

His ears turned slightly red,” Oh, it’s no problem at all,” Bilbo laughed and scratched his head,” I uh… I actually don’t know your name yet, how rude of me. I’m Bilbo Baggins,” He held out his hand.

“Thorin Oakenshield,” he returned the gesture, shaking it firmly and smiling lightly.

‘Thorin… what a wonderful name.’

Bilbo grinned and continued on the odd conversation,” I also wanted to compliment you on your excellent food. It was marvelous.”

Thorin’s face had a blush of pink, but smirked at his success,” Thank you very much. The egg was a signature touch.”

“Yeah, right! ‘Special touch’, my ass!” One of the men at the grill said, with a cocky grin. He wore a fur hat and probably should have been wearing a beard net, but he wasn’t. Thorin huffed, annoyed.

“The names Bofur. Nice to meet you,” he smiles over his shoulder,” And thats my brother Bombur over there,” he points at the rather big dwarf that should definitely be wearing a beard net.

Bilbo nodded and said hello politely as Bofur said,” I wish I could be able to talk more, but as you can see, we are pretty damn busy.”

Bilbo jumped slightly in realization,”Oh, right! I’m sorry! I’ll leave you to that,” He laughed and exited quickly. Though he did hear a “Oh it’s no problem at all!” from Bofur, but didn’t acknowledge it much.

Bilbo sat back down with Gandalf,”So you met Thorin, then?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“What do you think of him?”

Bilbo tilted his head at the question,” Um… well… I think he seems like quite a broad, and hard headed sort of guy, but very passionate about what he does. He seems very kind,” Bilbo smiled,” why?”

“Only wanted another’s opinion is all,” Gandalf said simply. Bilbo had learned to not question Gandalf as much as he really should’ve. Though, he usually got away with his secrets, somehow.

They ordered their food. Gandalf had ordered biscuits and gravy with sausage, while Bilbo ordered a BLT, with a small bowl of potato soup on the side. While they waited for their food, they sipped on their drinks and made conversation on normal things. Like, Gandalf’s students, and how a certain student of his (who happened to Bilbo’s nephew, Frodo) was very much like him. However, he didn’t seem to see him much. He heard he was a very nice boy, and planned on talking to him more when the holidays (or perhaps Fourth of July) came around. They also talked about Bilbo’s new job, and how uneventful it was. Gandalf, of course, said that he would recommend it to a few people, and by a few people, he probably meant a whole army of people he knew.

Fili brought them their food and, of course, it was fantastic. The BLT was wonderful and the potato soup was consistent and creamy. Gandalf, also seemed to enjoy his meal.

‘This would be something else to add to the blog,’ Bilbo thought as he finished up. Fili came by again and gave them the bill, which Gandalf managed to snatch up (To Bilbo’s frustration, but he paid the tip at least).

“Now,” Gandalf stood up, stretching a bit,” I’m heading to the kitchen to say ‘Hello’. They don’t seem too busy, anymore.”

“I’ll come, too,” Bilbo said, wiping his mouth with a napkin as he stood. Bilbo followed Gandalf to the kitchen, and was immediately greeted with shouts of glee.

“Hey! Gandalf!” Bofur shouted,” Haven’t seen you down here in quite a bit.”

“Yes, sorry about that, Bofur. I’ve been quite busy,” Bilbo almost felt everyone in the room roll their eyes.

“How have you lot been lately?” Gandalf leans on a nearby counter as Bilbo stands near him awkwardly.

“Actually busy for a change!” Kili shouts excitedly.

“We’ve barely been able to sit down. It’s great!” Fili continues.

“Yes, I’m not sure how this random spurt of popularity has occurred, but we’ve been more busy than we’ve ever been,” Thorin speaks up, and squints at Gandalf,” You wouldn’t have had anything to do with this, would you?”

How obvious it was, was quite clear and Gandalf hid a smug grin,” Oh, not me, certainly! But, Mr. Baggins on the other hand, might be the one you should be squinting at.”

Thorin blinked and furrowed his brows, looking at Bilbo,” You did this?”

“Uh…”

“‘Course he did! He gave an excellent review on-”

“Ganda-”

“His blog. He’s pretty popular actually. A good review from him aught to boost up your busine-”

“Gandalf!” Bilbo shouted, face red in embarrassment.

“Oh c’mon now. You should be used to such things by now,” Gandalf chuckled.

“That doesn’t make it any less ridiculous to hear out loud,” Bilbo looked down at his feet, in order to avoid the gazed on him.

Kili was the first to act,” Oh my god!” He grabbed Bilbo by the shoulders and spun him around,” How could you not have told us? Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Get off, Kili!” Fili yells and Kili slows down,” It’s my turn!” And then proceeds to do the same thing.

They stopped, when Bilbo almost fell over. Bofur had managed to tear himself away from the grill, and wrap his arm around Bilbos neck. Bofur, also found it necessary to plant a great, big, wet kiss on the side of Bilbo’s forehead.

Bilbo squeaked at the not-so-familiar gesture, and tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he found that Bombur was upon him and captured him in a bone crunching hug (ever lifter him off of the floor and shaking a bit, saying,” What a kind lad!”). Bilbo gasped loudly when he was let go.

“Don’t overwhelm him lads. Writers aren’t used to so much attention,” Gandalf laughed, but in Bilbo’s eyes, it was the laugh of evil.

Thorin approached him, grabbing his shoulder lightly. He had an astonished look on his face, but a the most sincere look in his eye,” You have… no idea how much this is helping us. Thank you,” Thorin brought Bilbo into a firm, but meaningful hug. It only lasted a moment, but there was so much feeling in that hug, that Bilbo Baggin’s chest felt tight and ears went red.

Thorin’s smile was as bright as the sun and Bilbo couldn’t help but return it.

The bell of the door went off, and Fili rushed to serve the customer.

“Well we should take out leave, then. You seem plenty busy as it is. Goodbye, friends. C’mon, Bilbo,” Gandalf stated as he left the kitchen.

“Oh! Uh, goodbye everyone, thank you for the meal,” he said waving a bit. He heard several ‘Bye, Bilbos’ as he left.

He caught up with Gandalf,” So?”

Bilbo tilted his head again,” So… what?”

“What do you think of them? I know they are a bit much to take in, but once you get to know them, they’re-”

“I think, they’re wonderful,” Bilbo said in a almost dream-like state as he smiled warmly. Bilbo hasn’t had many friends, and the idea that amazing people, like them, could possibly be his friends… That, was something he wanted more than anything.

Gandalf chuckled lightly,” Me too.”


	4. An Unexpected Day (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo is at another boring day at work, but someone has been looking for him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap. I am so sorry for not getting this to you sooner. I was going to wait a little longer, and make this chapter super dooper long but I felt bad. its not even a great chapter ugh.  
> So here is part one to this. It's gonna get sad guys.  
> I hope you like it!  
> If you were wondering, Im kinda basing where they live off of San Francisco, but i dont know much about it so that why im not saying it directly xD  
> okay  
> yes   
> sorry again ^^

Bilbo made his main review that week about the used book store that he worked at. It was called ‘Books of Isengard’ saying that it ”had excellent service” and that they should stop by and say hello to him on weekdays (he also didn’t forget to write an extra review on ‘Durin’s Diner’).

Bilbo got ready just as he always did, and made toast with jam as he called a taxi. He was wearing skinny jeans and a dark grey sweater. He’s been looking forward to wearing it, and he figured, ’What better time than the present?’

He arrived at work sleepier than usual. He hoped that his boss (who had told him to call him Saruman, but Bilbo insisted upon called him Mr. White) wouldn’t be in that much today. That way he could move around more without it seeming weird. He didn’t know why Mr. White stayed at the shop while he had an employee working there. Though, Mr. White did seem pretty skeptical about new people, so he assumed it was just some trust thing.

Thankfully, his wish came true and Mr. White had some errands to run. His boss took his leave. Though, Bilbo had quite a hard time staying awake.

‘I wish I had coffee right now,’ he sighed, leaning on his hand. A few hours passed, and he had a growing idea of going to get coffee across the street, but he knew he would be fired for sure. Especially, with the amount of people that came in within the past five hours. He had had six customers in that time, and four of them had said “Hi”. Bilbo tried to strike up a conversation with them, but he usually just let them talk. Considering, they had a lot more to ask him than he did for them.

Bilbo was dozing off with a book on his lap when he heard loud talking outside of the shop.

“Mr. Baggins works somewhere around here, right?”

“Yes I thought so. Wait! Here is is!”

“Books of Isengard? Sounds like some sort of ancient kingdom, or something.”

Fili and Kili appeared on the other side of the window a moment later. This woke Bilbo up considerably and he couldn’t help, but smile. They looked through the window, cupping their hands against the glass. Even their smiles were synchronized, as they noticed Bilbo at the counter and waved,” Mr. Baggins!”

Bilbo waved awkwardly back and they stumbled into the shop,” We’ve been looking for your shop for the last hour and a half!” Kili said as he made his way behind the counter in order to catch Bilbo in a soul crushing hug. It lasted way longer than necessary and Bilbo had to stutter out,” Kili! Kili, please!”

“Sorry!” He responded, dropping him immediately. Fili was quick to pat his shoulder in greeting,” Hello, Mr. Baggins!”

“Hello, twins,” he said catching his breath.

“Oh we’re not twins,” Fili said.

“Yeah! Fili is waaaaay older than me! He’s an old man.”

“I’m a year and a half older!”

“Yeah, and how old is that in kid years? Like a thousand years old!”

Bilbo laughed at their childlike interaction,” I only meant it as in how similar you two act.”

They both furrowed their eyebrows and tilted their heads to the side, saying,” Really?” in unison.

Bilbo raised an amused eyebrow and laughed,” Yes, really.”

The looked over at each other, exchanging the same look,”I guess, you’re right.”

Bilbo laughed loudly,” So, you were looking for me?”

“Well, sort of…” Fili started,” Y’see, it’s mom’s birthday next weekend and we are out getting her a present right now!”

“And we thought that she might enjoy a couple books-”

“Especially, since we don’t really know how to shop all that well-”

“So, we were gonna ask for your help with finding her some presents!-”

“Will you help us, Mr. Baggins?” Fili finished, both of the boys looking at him with hopeful eyes.

“Well,” Bilbo started,” It is my job to help customers with anything they may need… I have a couple hours left until i get off work for the day, so I could definitely help you after…”

“Really!?” Kili asked, they both resembled hyper puppies, jumping up and down.

Bilbo laughed,” Yes, of course! I’d love too! Though, I can’t say that I’ll be of much help, besides with the books. And plus, I’ve never even met you mother so I don’t really know what she likes.”

“We can help you there, Mr. Baggins!” declared Fili.

“Y’know you can call me Bilbo. I don’t think I’m that much older than you, or at least I would hope so.”

Fili and Kili both pause and exchange a weird look and ‘Hmmed’ in thought. Almost as if they were barely considering using his name.

“It feels wrong,” Fili said.

“Very wrong.”

“But… nobody has ever really called me Mr.Baggins in my life and it would be a shame to start that now,” Bilbo whined.

“Well, I guess…” Fili started.

“We could call you Bilbo…”

“Just for today…”

“And see if it sticks,” they both smirk at him.

Bilbo sighed,” Fine. Deal. Now, I’ll help you pick out a book or too if you go across the street and get me some coffee.”

After the boys took on the quest of retrieving coffee, the blogger sighed when the coffee entered his system.

“Thanks, guys.”

“No problem, Mr- I mean, Bilbo!” replied Fili.

“Okay, now,” he set his coffee down to appear more business like,” what kind of books does you mom like?”

“Hmm… she would something a little more lengthy than the last one. So something more than three hundred pages, I would say,” said Fili.

“She likes mystery novels!” adds Kili.

In the end, Bilbo had recommended ‘The Da Vinci Code’ by Dan Brown and ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ by Stieg Larsson. Which, Fili and Kili bought in a flash. It was surprising how quickly they took his word for it. Bilbo wrapped up the books with newspaper and put them in bags. They ended up hanging around until he got off of work, just eating the snacks they went to fetch at the coffee shop (and sharing them with Bilbo, of course). They agreed they would go out to eat after they went shopping. Mr. White got back just as he was about to lock up and he headed out the door with the brothers.

“So? Where to?” Bilbo asked.

The boys immediately stopped,” Ummmm,” they said.

Bilbo sighed when they didn’t say anything,” Well, what does she like?”

“Hmm,” Fili taps his lips in thought.

“She likes baths!” Kili blurted out.

“Baths.”

“Baths,” they confirmed.

“Okay. Baths,” Bilbo thought of all the possible placed to get relaxing bath supplies.

“Lush has some cool bath bombs? They’re pretty expensive and I don’t know how much money you guys have…”

There faces lit up at the idea,” Mr. Baggins, you’ve done it again!” Fili exclaims.

“Bilbo!”

“Sorry. Bilbo.”

They called a cab, and made their way to Lush on the edge of the down, near the beach. It was a beautiful day.

“Gosh, I wish it could be summer already. Then, we could go swimming,” Kili whines.

“Ah,” Fili closes his eyes in content,” neither can I. It’s so beautiful! I love finding washed up jellyfish.”

Bilbo laughs,” I used to go there with my mom when I was younger. It was nice. She always got us ice cream and we would stay all day until the sun would set, and we would watch the stars.”

Bilbo smiles down at his feet sadly. The boys seem to notice and exchange a serious glance.

“Maybe… you should come with us Bilbo!” Kili suggests.

“Yeah! I heard it’s gonna start getting warm really soon. We can play a beach day!” Fili suggests.

The sad thoughts immediately leave Bilbo’s mind and he smiles brightly,” I’d love that.”

 


End file.
